The amount of water flowing out of a faucet or a shower head is difficult to control, particularly when one wishes to control the temperature thereof by adjusting the hot and cold water faucets. Thus, the volume of water used is often much greater than necessary, resulting in waste of water which may be expensive or scarce.
It is known to provide flow rate control apparatus to water outlets. Such apparatus may include, for instance, a flexible rubber member including a number of apertures through which all the water must pass. The application of increased pressure to the member, such as water pressure of the water flowing therethrough, causes the apertures to become smaller, thus permitting less water to pass therethrough.
One major disadvantage of these flow rate controllers is that dirt and other sediments from the water tend to settle on the member, clogging the apertures and causing the member to lose its resiliency. In order to solve this problem, it has been suggested to insert a filter upstream of the flow rate controller. However, conventional filters also tend to clog over time. Conventional water conducting elements in which these filters and flow rate controllers are mounted generally cannot be opened for cleaning, with the result that they must be disposed of once the filter is clogged, since they cannot be cleaned by backwashing. Those few elements which can be opened tend to eject the dirt in all directions upon opening, which makes cleaning them a messy and unpleasant task.